Hampton University is hosting a screening and panel discussion on the 30-minute documentary “Education Under Fire.” The program focuses on the Islamic Republic of Iran's 30-year policy to deny members of its Bahá´í community the right to attend any institution of higher education. The screening is at 7 p.m., Feb. 9 in the HU Student Center Theater. 

A panel discussion to follow the documentary will include Mahtab Mortezaei Farid, daughter of jailed Baha'i Institute of Higher Education (BIHE) Director Kamran Mortezaei Farid, Sahar D. Sattarzadeh, Human Rights activist and doctoral student who conducted research on BIHE, and Emily Spellman, a regional representative for Amnesty International and a Senior at the College of William and Mary. 

The Education Under Fire Campaign’s purpose is to begin conversations on university campuses and within communities in the country, to raise awareness of the importance of defending Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees education as a person’s inalienable right. HU Senior April George is the campus marketing representative for the event.

“I want to make this a university initiative,” George said. “I want students to understand we have a certain degree of global responsibility. Even though there are issues that happen here, there are also issues that happen in other countries and it’s our duty that when we see a need for someone else to have a voice, we speak for them.”

HU became involved in the project when University President William R. Harvey approached retired HU Sociology Professor Dr. Anne Breneman about the issue. The campus is partnering with the Bahá´í Community of the Virginia Peninsula.

The central theme of Bahá'u'lláh's message is that humanity is one single race and that the day has come for its unification in one global society, according to http://info.bahai.org, an information resource for the Bahá´í International Community. According to the site, Bahá´í is the youngest of the world's independent religions.

For more information about the “Education Under Fire” screening contact the HU Office of Student Activities at 757.727.5691.

#HU#